Title: Conjuring Pain

Author: Ailendolin

Rating: T (PG-13) … just to be sure.

Disclaimer: I do not own Cats and do not make any money with this story. I only own the little plot bunny.

Summary: Everyone thinks to be able to conjure would be great, but Quaxo cannot confirm that. To him magic only means pain, loss and loneliness. It started ruining his life since he was a kitten. Will his broken spirit be mended when Tugger and Munk stumble upon him?

Word Count: 2300

Warning: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, but mainly Fluff – a lot of it.

Author's Notes: Finally an update, huh? Took me long enough. I was pretty busy with finishing my master's degree and preparing my dissertation project and had no time for writing at all. I'm very sorry it is taking me so long to finish this story, but I can promise you that we're almost done. Probably only one more chapter and an epilogue and I'm planning to finish those until June at least. The first half of the next chapter is already written so fingers crossed that I'll get it done in time. I hope you like the new chapter. Enjoy reading and thank you to everyone who reviewed and patiently waited all this time!

Chapter 18: Black Shadow

The sun shone brightly through the den when Munkustrap opened his eyes that morning. A week had gone by after the new kittens had been officially introduced to the tribe and life at the junkyard had returned to normalcy and routine had been reestablished itself. The kittens had settled in well and even Pouncival had grudgingly accepted that they were fun to be around, even though it had taken him a few days to warm up to them. He still preferred to play with Quaxo and Tumble but more often than not all kittens played together outside of Munkustrap's den. At times, Quaxo was still a bit shy and overwhelmed with being surrounded by so many cats. He sometimes retreated into their den for a couple of hours, preferring to be alone, and the other kittens gave him the space he needed. Munkustrap knew that Quaxo would come out once he was ready and thus it did not worry him overtly much.

This morning he and Quaxo had slept in. Munkustrap was not on guard duty that day, so they had stayed up late to watch the stars and the full moon while Munkustrap told stories and spoke of the great deeds of cats from a former time. While he enjoyed seeing Quaxo becoming more and more open when he played with the other kittens Munkustrap found himself looking forward to the moments he spent with Quaxo alone. Sometimes he felt like their time was running out. Quaxo had already grown so much in the time he had been with the tribe, both mentally and physically. It would not take long until he would want to live on his own and Munkustrap already mourned the day when his kitten would move out. He had talked to Tugger about this, just two nights ago, and his brother had just laughed.

"You're being silly, Munk," Tugger had said. "Kittens grow up. That's just the way life goes. Everyone can see that Quaxo adores you, so don't worry about him looking for someone to replace you quite so soon. He will always look to you when he needs help. Believe me, you're the most important cat to him and he will never truly leave you."

The words had comforted him a little, especially since they came from Tugger who usually was not one for deep, emotional conversations. But Munkustrap could not help but worry. The possibility of Quaxo having magic weighed heavily on his mind. There had been instances where Quaxo seemed to be moving too fast from one place to another, or landed safely from falls which should have by all means broken his legs. Nobody but Munkustrap noticed all these things but then again no one had seen Quaxo's fur glitter at night when he dreamed. It had happened twice now and Munkustrap knew that he had to talk to Old Deuteronomy about this at some point. He dreaded that talk and today would not be the day he went to his father. Perhaps tomorrow.

Munkustrap and Quaxo started their morning as they always did: a quick breakfast followed by warming up in the morning sun until someone would come over to play with Quaxo. Today, it was Plato who came running around the corner towards them. He was smiling brightly.

"Good morning!" he called to them.

"Good morning," Munkustrap greeted back amused and watched how Quaxo jumped down from their spot to greet Plato. "How was guard duty this morning?"

Plato waved him off before playfully shoving Quaxo aside and running after his tail. "Not much going on. Just sitting on that old tire and waiting for someone to relieve me. Pretty boring, actually. – Ah, got you!"

He had pounced on Quaxo's tail and held the squealing kitten in place. Quaxo was trying very hard to run away and fell flat on his nose when Plato let go of his tail. For a moment Munkustrap thought Quaxo would cry but the kitten only glared at Plato before he narrowed his eyes and jumped on Plato's back. Both of them fell over laughing.

Munkustrap shook his head at their antics. The joys of being young, he thought. He lay back down and watched the two of them play together. Without a doubt it would not take long for the rest of the kittens to join them. Usually Tumble first, then Pouncival and Jemima and finally Bomba's nieces Victoria, Elektra and Etcetera. The latter would sometimes tarry behind when she became distracted by the Rum Tum Tugger. It amused Munkustrap to no end how Tugger became more and more annoyed by the little queen's affection.

Sounds could be heard from the direction of the junkyard and Munkustrap's ears perked up. He expected Tumble to run around the corner and was surprised to see Jelly instead. There was a look of worry on her face that made Munkustrap sit up. Plato and Quaxo stopped their playing.

"Jelly," Munkustrap greeted. "What's wrong?"

She stopped in front of him and was breathing heavily. "A queen's just crossed our borders, Munkustrap. I have no idea how she could get past our guards, but she's here and she's wounded badly. Jenny is taking care of her right now."

"Who is she?" Munkustrap asked.

Jelly shrugged. "We don't know yet. But you better come fast. She said there were Pollicles after her, a lot by the sound of it."

They exchanged a meaningful glance and Munkustrap understood what Jelly was not saying: it was only a matter of time until the dogs would overrun the junkyard. Their tribe was not strong enough to deal with more than two or three of them at their borders at a time. He turned towards Plato and Quaxo.

"Listen, you two need to come with us," he said. "This might become dangerous, so stay close and don't wander off. Plato, I want you to keep an eye on Quaxo at all times, do you understand."

Plato nodded. "I will not let him out of my sight."

"Good," Munkustrap said. "I'm counting on you. Let's go."

Together the four cats made their way to the center of the junkyard. The noise had died down by the time they reached their destination. There was no one around except for the kittens, Jenny and the newcomer, Munkustrap noted. Good, he thought, this means everyone able to fight is on their posts.

They walked closer to Jenny and the other queen. The kittens were huddled together next to Jenny and looked scared. A moment later Munkustrap could see why. The back of the injured queen was slick with blood. One glance to his left showed him that Plato had the presence of mind to lay a paw over Quaxo's eyes so he would not see the extent of the injuries. Munkustrap nodded to Plato in approval and stepped closer to Jenny while Jelly ushered the rest of the kittens closer to Quaxo and Plato and away from the horrible sight.

"How does it look?" Munkustrap asked Jenny. She only shook her head and Munkustrap knew that the strange queen would not make it.

Jenny grabbed his arm and turned him away from the injured cat. Her eyes were wide when she whispered into his ear, "Munkustrap, she appeared out of nowhere into the junkyard. She was just … there, suddenly. I think she has-"

"-magic," Munkustrap finished for her. He briefly closed his eyes. "Alright," he said, "just let me get Quaxo and the other kittens to safety and-"

"Quaxo?" a weak voice asked and all eyes except Munkustrap's turned to the dying queen. His eyes were instead fixed on his charge who let out a choking noise.

"M-mummy?"

This cannot be happening, Munkustrap thought. Quaxo took a tentative step forward, looking as lost and confused as he had on the day Munkustrap had found him in the rain, not so long ago. Behind them, Quaxo's mother was slowly turning around to look at her son, even though it obviously caused her pain.

"So you've found a new home," Quaxo's mother noted and Quaxo's eyes filled with tears. For Munkustrap that was the last straw. He turned around and rounded on the queen, not caring that she was injured and that that might be her last moments.

"How dare you even talk to him," he spat out, baring his teeth. "You left him to die. I'd like to throw you out to the Pollicles just for that."

She laughed weakly and coughed. "You have no idea. He's unnatural."

Munkustrap snorted. "Just like you, you mean? Cats don't appear out of nowhere, you know."

Quaxo's mother glared at him. "Do you even know what he is? He was a danger to my family."

"No, he was part of your family. You should have loved him regardless," Munkustrap told her. "Especially considering your … condition."

She shook her head. "No one knew about me and and he would have ruined everything because he has no control over his magic. I couldn't risk that."

Munkustrap heard the other cats that were present gasp at that new piece of information. There came, however, also the sound of a sob behind him and he turned around just in time to see Quaxo running away, straight past Plato and into the direction of their den. Plato reacted quickly and ran after him without asking questions, without judging, while the other cats just stared. Even though everything in him wanted to follow Quaxo Munkustrap forced himself to look at the queen once more.

"So you left him to die because you wanted to hide your magical abilities. Is that it? How could you be so selfish?"

She coughed and blood stained her lips. "How could you allow such a danger into your tribe?"

He smiled at her coldly. "The only danger present here is you. It is a good thing the Pollicles got to you before I did. I would have shown no mercy." He turned to walk away and with a last look over his shoulder he said, "Know this: Quaxo will grow up loved not despite his abilities but because of them. He will prove everyone wrong about magic."

With that he turned his back on her and did not look back. Munkustrap exchanged a look with Jenny and Jelly who both looked frightened at the prospect of magic in the junkyard but nodded their heads in agreement. He was glad to have them on his side in this. The Everlasting Cat knew he could use all the support he could get now that Quaxo's magical powers were known.

He was about to follow after Quaxo and Plato when he heard a shout from the other side of the junkyard. Whirling around he saw Skimble and Admetus fighting of a Pollicle, and behind them Tugger, Bomba and Demeter another. Munkustrap reacted without thinking. "Jenny, Jelly get the kittens safe into a den and stay there until someone tells you it's safe to come out."

"What about Quaxo's mother?" Jenny asked uncertainly.

"Leave her where she is. She's not our priority."

He stayed as long as it took Jenny and Jelly to gather the kittens and run with them to Jelly's den which was closest. They reached it just in time. There was a scream of pain from Admetus as he and Skimble were overrun by the Pollicle they were fighting. Munkustrap wasted no time and ran into the direction Plato and Quaxo had taken off to. He was sure that Quaxo had run to their den to hide. As fast as he could Munkustrap dashed across the junkyard and around the corner. His heart felt lighter when he saw Plato sitting in the door of the den with Quaxo crying into his chest.

"We have no time," Munkustrap said when he reached the two of them. "Get in the den. There's a Pollicle on the loose and-"

A loud growl interrupted him. The Pollicle had followed him around the corner. Plato's eyes widened and he shoved Quaxo into the den before the kitten had realized what was happening. "What will we do, Munkustrap?" Plato whispered.

Munkustrap smiled at him, knowing that Plato was trying to be brave even though he was still so young himself and in need of protection. "You will go to Quaxo, hide and lock the den behind you."

"But- no! Munkustrap, you stand no chance against it!" Plato protested. The Pollicle came charging.

"Maybe not, but it will give you a chance. This is my duty, Plato, not yours. Please, take care of Quaxo and don't judge him for the things he has no control over."

The Pollicle came closer and closer. Plato was looking at Munkustrap as if he wanted to say more, so much more, but there was no time. They exchanged one more glance before Munkustrap shoved Plato inside the den. The Pollicle jumped.

Munkustrap jumped into his path and collided with him. The impact wrenched his right shoulder out of its socket and he screamed in pain. Both he and the Pollicle landed hard on the ground. The dog was dazed for a moment and Munkustrap used the time to limp as far away from it as he could. His right front leg was useless and slowed him down immensely. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement where the closed door of his den should have been. Panic seized him. Quaxo and Plato were supposed to be safe behind that door.

Before he could shout for them to get to safety pain erupted in his neck and he screamed as he felt the Pollicle shake him from left to right. The world became fuzzy and blurry and the last thing he saw was a black shadow before everything went dark.

TBC